RetroNight: Luigi’s Mansion

Another GameCube game! But this one is a special case. It’s a launch title, meaning it came out (are you ready for this) a day prior to the actual console. Luigi’s Mansion is without a doubt one of the most unique and quirky Nintendo games ever made. This is starting with its strange launch date and continuing on to its unprecedented mechanics.

If you’re expecting one of Mario’s classic platformers, you’re in the wrong place. This doesn’t mean that you’re in for a bad game. Luigi’s Mansion is all about puzzle solving and ghost busting to try and find out what happened to a missing Mario.

This game offers some of the most charming lovable character and personality in the entire Super Mario franchise. Luigi’s caring coward mentality makes for some humorous antics, and his responses to certain things are nothing short of fantastic. His screams could make even the hardest of hearts laugh.

Luigi’s Mansion is filled with numerous ghosts, each with their own personality traits. They’re a riot, from their bizarre personal histories, to their relationship with the mansion. It can be assumed that every family that ever lived there died and became a ghost.

Another strange thing about Luigi’s Mansion, is that it manages to actually be somewhat scary. I don’t think the developers were aiming for a legitimate horror game, and with the boo characters from Mario being present, I don’t think anyone expected genuine fear. But the game manages to have a real thrilling feel.

This is contributed to by the genuinely creepy appearances of some of the ghosts, as well as the game’s unique art direction. Everything feels so ancient and expired, despite having a somewhat modern feel.

Anyone who wants to experience what the GameCube was truly meant to do, play Luigi’s Mansion. It was a true classic.